Better Ways to Say Thank You in English (30+ New Expressions)
This lesson was originally posted in November 2016. It was updated with new content and a video in May 2019.
You’re walking to work and a stranger stops you on the street to say, “I love your skirt.” In English. What do you say?
Or maybe your English-speaking neighbor brings your family dinner because you were at the hospital for surgery. That’s super nice! So how could you express how thankful you are?
Saying thank you has power. It can help you feel gratitude, share joy and kindness with others, and make other people smile and feel happy.
I want you to know how ALL the different ways to say thank you in English so you can express your appreciation in any situation.
In today’s lesson you’ll NEW ways to say thank you when:
- Your colleague offers to get you some coffee from the cafeteria
- Your boss holds the door open for you
- A company offers you a job or a promotion
- You end a business meeting with new clients
- Your husband/wife offers to clean the dishes because you had a long day
- Your friend calls and remembers you on your birthday
- Your team at works stays late to finish a project on time
- Your friend helps you during a difficult time after your mom passed away
With this Confident English lesson, youβll learn more than 30 common ways to express thanks in English so you can adapt to any situation.
Advance your vocabulary with new ways to say thank you.
Lesson by Annemarie
Say Thank You in English β Casual Situations
Did your friend just wish you and your husband a happy anniversary? Did your office celebrate your birthday with cake? Did a stranger hold a door open for you at the post office?
For these everyday, informal experiences, we can use a variety of expression to say thanks.
Thank you. / Thanks so much. / Thanks a lot. / Thanks a bunch. / Thanks a ton. / Thanks!
Did your colleague at work just bring you a cup of coffee? Say:
- βThanks a bunch! I really need an extra dose of caffeine right now!β
- βThanks! Youβre awesome for thinking of me.β
- βThank you!β
I really appreciate it. / You shouldnβt have.
Did your office just give you a birthday gift or a surprise party at work? Say:
- βI canβt believe you did this! You shouldnβt have. But thank you so much. This was very kind of you.β
- βWhat a thoughtful gift. I really appreciate this!β
I donβt know what to say! / Thatβs very kind.
A stranger on the street just gave you a compliment. Say:
- βI donβt know what to say. Thank you.β
- βThatβs very kind of you. Thank you.β
Youβre the best. / I owe you one. / You rock.
Your friend at work stayed late to help you finish a project.
- βYouβre the best. I wouldn’t have finished this on time without you.β
- βI really owe you one. Thanks for staying late. Next time you need help, Iβve got it.β
What would I do without you? / To say thank you is not enough. / I canβt thank you enough.
You had a stressful and difficult day at work. Your husband said he would take care of dinner and do all the cleanup. Say:
- βWhat would I do without you? Youβre wonderful.β
- βI canβt thank you enough. I really need a night off.β
βGratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.β -Eileen Caddy
Say Thank You in English β Formal Situations
Some daily situations β at work and in our personal lives β require more formal language. And this is often true in writing.
For example, if youβre expressing thankfulness or gratitude in a speech at a wedding, a formal reception or networking event, or in a lecture, it would be appropriate to choose more formal language.
Or if youβre writing thank you notes to friends and family members; if youβre sending an email to say thank you to a new client; or writing to another company, again, youβll want to use these more formal expressions.
Iβm so grateful forβ¦ / Iβm so thankful forβ¦ / Many thanks forβ¦
Writing some thank you notes to friends who helped you after the birth of a baby or while you were helping a sick parent?
- βIβm so grateful for your help. It was a challenging time but you made it easier. Thank you.β
- βIβm so thankful friends like you.β
I truly appreciate… / Thank you ever so much for… / It’s so kind of you to…
Are you sending an email to everyone on your team at work for working overtime or volunteering to work on a Saturday?
- βI truly appreciate everyoneβs efforts and commitments to our success. Thank you for taking time out of your personal time to meet our deadline.β
- βIt was kind of each of you – and your families – to give up a Saturday to help our company volunteer at the 10km race to benefit cancer research.β
Thank you for going through the trouble toβ¦ / Thank you for taking the time to…Β
Did one of your business contacts take some extra time to give you some information you needed? Send an email to say thank youβ¦
- βHi, Samantha. I just wanted to send a note to say thank you for taking the trouble to answer all my questions. I know you are busy and I appreciate that you took the time to respond quickly. Thank you.β
I’m eternally grateful for… / I cannot thank you enough for… / I want you to know how much I value… / Words cannot describe how grateful I am for… / Please accept my deepest thanks for…
Sometimes we have very difficult times in our lives. Maybe a loved one becomes ill. Someone passes away. Or perhaps you lose a job.
Tragedies happen. These can be terribly stressful times. If you are writing someone to thank them to help you, these expressions are most appropriate.
- βIβm eternally grateful to you for providing dinners to my family while I was in the hospital. I felt comforted knowing they were well-feed.β
- βWords cannot express how grateful I am for your help after my mom passed away. I was devastated and you helped me get through each day. β
Say Thank You in English β Professional Situations
If you are writing an official business email or business letter, then itβs best to use professional, formal expressions to show your thanks or appreciation.
For example, you may be writing to thank someone or to thank another company for their help. Or perhaps you want to express your gratitude for them working with you this year.
Thank you for your assistance with⦠/ Thank you for your attention to this matter
- βThank you for your assistance with/attention to this matter. We look forward to hearing from you shortly.β
Your support is greatly appreciated. / Iβd like to express my/our appreciation forβ¦ / Thank you for your kind consideration.
- βYour support in this discussion is greatly appreciated and we look forward to continuing our work with you.β
- βOn behalf of our company, Iβd like to sincerely express our appreciation for your business this year. We wish you Happy Holidays and look forward to another successful year together.β
After you’ve watched the video and reviewed the lesson, I’d love to hear from you!
- What is your new favorite way to say thank you in English from this lesson? Share with me in the comments.
- Bonus challenge: If you wanted to thank all your colleagues for helping you out with a tight deadline, how would you do so?
You can share your comments, get feedback, and learn from others in the Confident English Community by sharing your answers below.
With much gratitude for your time every week,
Annemarie
P.S. If you loved this lesson, be sure to check out New Ways to Say Thank You and You’re Welcome in English.
Get the Confidence to Say What You Want in English
Follow my 3-step solution to speak English with clarity, fluency, and freedom so you can say what you want with confidence.
You'll also get my Confident English lessons delivered by email every Wednesday and occasional information about available courses. You can unsubscribe any time.
More Like This
#309: How to Go Off Topic in English | English Conversation Skills
Learn how to gracefully go off topic in English without losing your audience. Whether you’re in a meeting or chatting with friends, in this lesson we dive deep into the art of smoothly navigating tangents while enhancing your English conversation skills.
#308: How to Use ‘Though’ in English [+ FREE Worksheet]
Learn and practice how to correctly use though, although, even though, and as thought in your English conversations.
#307: How to Use English Abbreviations in Emails, Texts, and Conversations
Follow this comprehensive guide to learn how to use English abbreviations for emails, texts, and conversations.
How to Describe Your Personality in English
Did you know it’s common in daily conversation & in job interviews to hear this question: “So, how would you describe yourself?” — How would you answer the question? Use this lesson to learn real-life English vocabulary for describing personalities in English.
#306: Friendly Ways to Invite Someone in English
Extend invitations in English with phrases that strike the perfect balance between formality, friendliness, and warmth to make your invitations feel genuine and welcoming.
#305: Discover Effective Ways to Talk about Hope in English
Dive deep into the heart of English tensesβpast, present, and futureβhighlighting how ‘hope’ evolves with each so you can talk about your hope in English.
Β© Copyright 2014-2024 Speak Confident EnglishΒ | Β Privacy Policy Β | Β Terms & DisclaimerΒ | Online Class Policies
Extremely helpful post. This is my first time i visit here. I discovered such a large number of intriguing stuff in your blog particularly its exchange. Truly its extraordinary article. Keep it up.
This is extremely fascinating substance! I have completely delighted in perusing your focuses and have reached the conclusion that you are right about a hefty portion of them. You are extraordinary.
How can i say thanks to my cooperative clients
Lots of love and thanks for your time
SOOOOOOOOOOO NORMAL!!!
This is very useful article to improve your English. Thanks for providing such contents
woww!! its really helpfull
This is so helpful – I look forward to reviewing the rest of your content!
I’d love to explore alternate ways to comment to commenters on Linkedin, other then “Thank you!”
Also, caption suggestions would be awesome. I always struggle to start the first sentence in the caption for a social post. π
Itβs fantastic that you are getting thoughts from this blog post as well as from our discussion made at this time.
I can’t thank you enough. I really liked the way you arranged this program.
I would like you let me receive notifications of the updates from your website Thank you.
What a very helpful english leasson!
My sincere apprecition!
Are these acceptable?
I thank him.
I thank her.
I thank them.
hi! your website was indeed helpful.
Thanks! You are awesome for thinking of me.
Thanks a lot
hello, your website is very helpful. I have a question what does βIβm so thankful friends like you.β actually means?
‘Thanks a bunch’ isn’t a way to say thanks in authentic English – it’s sarcasm, meaning the person didn’t help you at all.
Thank you for all the explanations, but I just found out (Thanks a lot, and thanks a bunch) are not equal to ((Thank you, or Thank you so much)) in normal situation, and they are used sarcastically, once you’re angry, surprised and so forth. How would you explain this?
Thank you
great to jjoin
Thanks so much!thatβs a great lesson
You’re very welcome. I’m glad it was helpful!
Such an interesting read thank for sharing the information
That was great. Thanks.
Hi Nice job, the words are encouraging.
Awesome.. Love the work and the way you gathered (and respond to) people around the globe in such a beautiful way.
I was stranded on how I should thank my friend then boom, saw this
helpful article,I Cant thank you enough for making it easy for me,am so grateful
Awesome! So glad this was helpful!!
Thanks a bunch! I really appreciate your help
Hope you all the best
You’re very welcome.
Your article and your kindness are treasure of my “English world”. Thank you very much, Annemarie!
You’re so welcome. I’m glad to know my lessons are useful.
Thank you for all u do. What expression is that?
Hi Stephania, I’m not sure I understand your question. Could you clarify it for me?
I am so grateful for your help. I now know the distinction between thank you very much and thank you so much
Brilliant! I was struggling to find a different way to say Thank You! Without sounding over grateful and repeating myself within the same paragraph. I’ve had to bookmark this website as it’s full of great writing advice. *Your support is greatly appreciated.
Thatβs very kind of you. Thank you
I have best impression of your lessons, thanks so much for your kindness and helping in improving our english skills
That’s so nice of you, An Duong. Thank you. π
Awesome Article, Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Gopi.
Dear Annemarie, I donβt know what to say. It’s amazing lesson, very strong article here. It helps me to improve my communication skills and e-mails writing. Thank you for your support English learners with their efforts. I want to wish you healthy and wealthy!
Thanks a bunch… Because of you mam i have polished my vocabulary. Moreover, I have learned different way to say for example- wait a moment, bear with me please. Words are not enough to say about your helping mam ππππ
Thanks a lot for your explanation
I truly appreciated the effort that you put to help us, we can thank you enough!
You’re so welcome!
Thanks a bunch!
You’re welcome. π
I really apreciate your help with our learning. What would we do without you ? Thanks is not enough.
What a kind comment! Thanks, Manu.
I use these
1) be grateful for something or someone
2) express/ show gratitude
3) appricte
4) show appreciation
5) I’m forever in your debt
6) Cheers
7) i owe you one
8) thanks in a million
You are imparting a invaluable service. Your lessons are in general helping people in their livelihood and making a better society. Keep the good work going.
Hi Annemarie, I truly appreciate your effort in helping us non-native speakers of English to get a grip on the nuances of thanking someone. I need to have a go on thanking someone in writing very formally for the opportunity to apply for a job. That is how I found your page. After reading your blog (I have problems waching videos) I would go for something like that: Dear Sir, Iβm so grateful for the opportunity to apply for a position as …. or Many thanks for the opportunity to apply for a position as What are your thoughts on… Read more Β»
That was a really interesting lesson. I canΒ΄t thank you enough for your videos !!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nelly! And great use of “I can’t thank you enough.” π
Hi Annemarie,
It is so lovely and useful this lesson, because like Eileen Caddy I think Gratitude is very important for us!
IΒ΄m very grateful to learn through you, and you are awesome, very logic, your support is greatly appreciated for me
I cannot thank you enough.
IΒ΄m eternally grateful for your blog and Great! Thanks.
Thank you for all your kind comments, Salma. I’m so happy you enjoyed the lesson and found it useful to you. π
To the first question; I loved, “you rock” informal and funny
To the second, I’d say Thanks guys, you rock, let’s have a beer now
Besides I want to thank you for your great blogs where teach us so many things about English language and American culture.
Hey Jaime, I love that example for how to thank your colleagues. And I”m glad you found a new expression you like.
Thanks for the kind comment regarding our lessons. I’m so glad they’re helpful. π
I just can say Thank You, you are the best
Awesome! Glad you liked the lesson, Zhaklina, and great job with that new expression.
I really appreciated the information you’ve provided us with. However, I still have one qustion: are these gratitude forms concentrated more on British or American English?What are the differences between these two communicative cultures in terms of expressing gratitude?
I’m glad it was a helpful lesson. I’m American so most of what I share is from American speech and culture.
Yeah, “Thanks a bunch” would more likely be taken as sarcasm for us brits…so could easily have the opposite effect/be taken the wrong way…
Hi Simon, that’s true. It can also be taken as sarcasm in American English as well. It all depends on the tone when speaking.
Many thanks . A lot of stuffs I have gotten from this
Deeply appreciate your simple and useful word, it is a great help in my day.
That’s really a good lesson and it will solve many problems of people who don’t know how to thank a person.
I’m glad you found it useful.
Many thanks:) great video:)
Awesome! I’m glad you liked it, Ieva. π
Its very hard to be polite. Useful stuff! will immensely help to behave/speak politelty. Worth practising.
I’m glad it was helpful, Vidhya.
Thank You so much for your awesome “Thank you”lesson,beautiful teacher!
Thanks for sharing π
You’re very welcome, Belen.
You’re so welcome, Belen! π